Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to cotton harvesting machines. The cotton harvesting machines may be pickers which actually harvest the lint from the cotton boll or may be cotton strippers which harvest the boll itself.
Presently the typical method of producing cotton modules is a two-step process. The first step is driving a cotton harvesting machine through the cotton fields to harvest the cotton lint or cotton bolls. The harvesting machine is usually comprised of a mobile wheeled frame with a harvesting means being mounted adjacent the ground. Also mounted on the frame is a receptacle (commonly referred to as a basket) for holding the harvested cotton. Usually a pneumatic conveyor will transport the cotton from the harvesting means to the basket.
When the basket is filled to capacity, the cotton harvesting machine is forced to cease operating until the basket is unloaded. The harvesting machine may dump into a wagon or "boll buggy." The usual process is to dump into a cotton module maker. The cotton module maker is typically a rectangular box which is open topped and floorless. Above the rectangular box is a sliding piston which by reciprocal motion compresses the harvested cotton into a module. The module must be dense enough to be self-supporting. The module is then placed on a module trailer, for shipment to a cotton gin. At the cotton gin seed and other foreign matter is removed from the harvested cotton.
The above methods have several disadvantages. The use of cotton wagons to transport cotton to the gin is expensive due to the volume of the loose stack of cotton. A disadvantage of using a module maker is that three pieces of capital equipment must be acquired namely, the cotton harvesting machine and the cotton module maker and the module trailer. A disadvantage of both wagons and module makers is that during the time of the dumping operation, the cotton harvesting machine cannot be continually harvesting the cotton. If by chance, a module maker or wagon is not available, the cotton harvesting machine is forced out of operation. Operation may not start back up until a cotton wagon or module builder is again available.
The rows of cotton fields often extend for lengths of a mile or more. Often the harvesting machine will fill to capacity before finishing up a row. At that point in time the harvesting machine operator must leave the row and dump along a service road, or dump into a wagon brought out into the field. If the machine leaves the row to dump, valuable harvesting time is wasted. If a wagon is brought out for unloading, crop damage is likely to occur. When the harvesting machine is partially filled after finishing a row, the operator may be forced to stop and dump to avoid filling up the basket midway through the next row. Another disadvantage of the prior dumping system is that most harvesting machines must either raise the basket or pivot the basket upward. The above unloading operation raises the center of gravity of the machine, providing for increased instability. To overcome the above and other disadvantages the present invention is brought forth.
The present invention is a cotton harvesting machine with an onboard cotton module builder system. The present invention basically comprises a mobile wheeled frame with cotton harvesting means mounted thereon adjacent to the ground. After the cotton is harvested by the harvesting means, the cotton is transported to a receptacle via a conveyor system. Mounted within the receptacle is a means for compression for compressing the harvested cotton into a self-supporting module. The means for compression is sometimes referred to as a module builder. The module builder may be programmed to operate continuously as the cotton harvesting machine is operating, or may be programmed to operate automatically upon filling of the basket, or by operator command. One of the advantages of the present invention is that cotton modules may be customized in length, thereby tailoring the size of the cotton module to the module trailer used for transporting the modules to cotton gins.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which can produce a self-supporting stack, from light dry crop materials, which have large resistance to compaction, such as cotton.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cotton harvesting machine with its own cotton module builder. It is an object of the present invention to provide a cotton harvesting machine which may harvest cotton over longer row lengths than is possible with conventional machines. It is a desire of the present invention to provide a cotton harvesting machine capable of producing cotton modules customized in length. It is an object of the present invention to produce a cotton harvesting machine which reduces the time between harvesting and transport to the cotton gin by eliminating the need for conventional module builders. It is an object of the present invention to provide a cotton harvesting machine capable of continual operation for longer periods of time. It is another object of the present invention to provide a cotton harvesting machine which does not experience the stability problems associated with prior machines when unloading.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as a nature of the invention is better understood from the accompanying drawings and a detailed description.